Feb 16, 2022

Yasser Badry Mrs. Nevin Al-Kabbaj, Minister of Social Solidarity, and Dr. Yasmine Fouad, Minister of Environment, held a meeting with a number of civil society organizations working in the field of the environment, with the aim of discussing preparations for the participation of civil society organizations in the climate change conference, which Egypt is scheduled to host this year in the city of Sharm El-Sheikh. The meeting witnessed a review by civil society organizations working in the field of the environment of the contributions they have made during the past period, including bioenergy generation, biogas, green buildings, the green economy, rationalization of water and energy use, waste recycling, environmental awareness, and the establishment of a platform that includes civil society organizations partnering in the field, and other related fields. The associations affirmed that the participation of civil society is an affirmation of the confidence of the President of the Republic in the capabilities of civil society and in its vital role in implementing national projects, which contributes to building the nation and investing in environmental and human resources. This confidence encourages the solidarity and partnership of all civil society organizations towards achieving a single development vision, in order to make the largest conference to be held in Egypt during the coming period a success, indicating that they will harness all their scientific and practical capabilities in order to contribute to the conference’s outcome with results that confirm the leadership of the Egyptian state. For her part, the Minister of Social Solidarity expressed her happiness with the partnership with the Ministry of Environment and partners from civil society organizations working in the field of the environment, noting that this year is witnessing two of the largest local events, which is the United Nations Climate Change Conference, and coinciding with the President’s declaration of 2022 as the Year of Civil Society. The Minister of Solidarity stated that it is important to develop a unified vision for the contribution of civil society to issues of environmental sustainability and marketing the green economy, including a path out of poverty. Al-Kabbaj added that through the electronic system for civil society associations, the Ministry of Solidarity can monitor civil society organizations working in the field of the environment with its various classifications. She also stressed that preserving natural and environmental resources definitely has a major role in investing in people and building humanity in harmony with a clean and pollution-free environment that takes into account the processes of recycling and renewing resources. Al-Kabbaj also stressed that intensive awareness and effective community participation are the basis for bringing about real change in citizens’ attitudes and adopting positive behaviors towards preserving the environment and working to stabilize climate conditions. Her Excellency explained that in order to change the culture of society towards a clean environment and sustainable development, some resources must be directed to finance civil society organizations towards specific environmental issues, and to find volunteers in environmental sustainability, through coordination with the Ministry of Environment. It has been agreed with civil societies to collect and document their experiences for the Ministry of Social Solidarity, provided that specific indicators are set at the beginning of this calendar year, and then they are scheduled to be reviewed in July 2022 before the largest event is held in November 2022. For her part, Dr. Yasmine Fouad, Minister of Environment, stressed the importance of coordinating efforts between the Ministries of Environment and Social Solidarity to unify the message presented regarding Egypt’s hosting of the conference. The 27 parties to climate change this year in Sharm El-Sheikh, pointing out the need to pay attention to educating individuals about what climate change is, given the lack of knowledge of this term by some people and their lack of awareness of what must be done and what must be avoided to confront climate change, which has become one of the most important issues affecting the lives of individuals and peoples. The Minister of the Environment explained during the meeting that there is an overlap in many special activities between the Ministries of Environment and Social Solidarity, which achieves integration, as we find the initiative launched by the Minister of Social Solidarity, “Bar Aman”, to protect fishermen and provide their tools to practice their profession, which is ultimately in the interest of the environment, stressing the importance of spreading biogas technology in Egyptian villages to benefit from agricultural, domestic and animal waste and converting them into fuel and organic fertiliser, which achieves An economic return that contributes to improving the livelihood of the Egyptian citizen, and works to reduce emissions resulting from burning waste.